Board member still upset over county appointment

Published 2:26 am, Wednesday, February 18, 2015

BAD AXE — A “stinky” decision made by Huron County commissioners to appoint one of their own to the county’s planning commission raised a few eyebrows recently.

One board member now says a fouler stench is lingering.

“There were many comments about what happened here, and none of them were positive,” Commissioner Clark Elftman said Tuesday. “We’re catching a lot of flak right now. … My feeling is that we’ve got to get a handle on this; we need to pound it down or get the truth out there.

“It stunk then, I think it stinks worse now.”

Last week, the board chose Commissioner David Peruski as the ninth county planner. The appointment came after the board voted 5-2 to send a document detailing a moratorium on wind energy development to planners, who are scheduled to review it March 4 and send a recommendation back to commissioners.

Peruski said he was seeking the temporary, unexpired one-year term previously held by now-Commissioner Rich Swartzendruber, who, under advice from the board’s attorney, resigned the seat after he was elected to the county commission to avoid an appearance of conflict of interest.

Peruski also serves on the Wind Energy Zoning Committee, which one resident dubbed a “triple threat” before commissioners voted 4-2 to seat Peruski on the planning commission. Peruski said he saw no conflict of interest and was relying on advice from the board’s attorney.

Commissioners did not respond to Elftman’s comments during Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting.